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Ranieri: Leicester won’t sell ‘credit cards’ Mahrez and Vardy

Claudio Ranieri says Leicester will not sell either Jamie Vardy or Riyad Mahrez, as “neither has a price” and are the “pinnacle of the iceberg” for the Foxes.

The Foxes’ prized assets were the goalscorers as Leicester beat Chelsea 2-1 to return to the top of the Premier League on Monday night.

Vardy is the leading goalscorer this season with 15, while Mahrez is third in the charts with 11, and the Algerian leads the way in terms of combined goals and assists.

Both have been linked with moves to Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, but Ranieri insists that neither will be sold as “they don’t have a price”.

“No one can buy Vardy or Mahrez in January,” Ranieri said. “They don’t have the money and they don’t have a price.

“I think the performance of Mahrez and Vardy was fantastic, but they are only the pinnacle of the iceberg because behind them there is a big spirit who work and help each other,” he added, praising the rest of his table-topping side.

“We know Vardy and Mahrez are our credit cards but to do this, it is important that the other players play well too.

“I told my players, five more points and we are safe. I put that target at the beginning of the season, and when we achieve 40 points, we will change our goal.

“There was a lot of electricity tonight. Without that we are a normal team, but with the fans pushing us we are very happy. They continue to dream but we must continue to keep our feet on the ground.

“It’s a magical time, we must continue to work hard because I don’t want to wake up. I want to continue to dream with our fans.”